"We define executive functioning as the cognitive control processes-the mental operations that allow a person to coordinate behavior with an internally represented intention. In fact, intentionality is the foundation of the three most studied components of executive functioning: response inhibition, meaning suppressing dominant or automatic responses; working memory updating, which is the way we monitor incoming information and retain what is relevant; and set shifting, which means flexibly switching between tasks or mental frameworks."
"Key points What we perceive as failures of executive function may be a misalignment of intention and motivation. If a task is considered unimportant, it is said to have low emotional salience. When the outcome is desirable, the task has a positive emotional valence-without that, motivation drops. Before assuming executive dysfunction, consider the salience and emotional valence of the task."
Executive functioning consists of cognitive control processes that coordinate behavior with internally represented intentions, specifically response inhibition, working memory updating, and set shifting. These abilities require not only clarity about a goal but also that the goal carries emotional salience and desirable valence to drive motivation. Tasks judged unimportant or lacking desirable outcomes produce low motivation and apparent failure to engage executive processes. Modern approaches often assume intentions and salience are stable and accessible, but people frequently lack clarity or alignment. Therefore, evaluation should assess intention, salience, and emotional valence before concluding true executive dysfunction.
Read at Psychology Today
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